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Backup · head to head

Arcserve UDP vs Kopia

Arcserve UDP logo

Arcserve UDP

Backup

Unified data protection for all workloads

From
$25/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kopia logo

Kopia

Backup

Open source deduplicating backup with client side encryption and a repository on almost any storage

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kopia has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Arcserve UDP multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues; Kopia space is only reclaimed when maintenance runs, and in a shared repository full maintenance is owned by one client, so if that machine goes away the repository grows for ever while every backup still reports success.
  • They diverge on capability: Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Kopia covers Content defined chunking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arcserve UDP and Kopia actually diverge.

Attributes where Arcserve UDP and Kopia differ
AttributeArcserve UDPKopia
Starting price$25/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, LinuxLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker
Founded1983Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arcserve UDP

  • Assured recovery testing
  • Instant VM recovery
  • Deep application support
  • Ransomware protection
  • Tape backup
  • Hardware snapshots
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Kopia

  • Content defined chunking
  • Global deduplication
  • Pack blobs
  • Client side encryption
  • Desktop and command line
  • Repository verification

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arcserve UDP

  • Data protectionnot Kopia
  • Disaster recoverynot Kopia
  • Business continuitynot Kopia
  • Ransomware protectionnot Kopia
  • Compliancenot Kopia

Kopia

  • Backing up laptops and workstations to cheap object storage with a desktop interface rather than a cron jobnot Arcserve UDP
  • Deduplicating backups of several similar machines into one repository so common content is stored oncenot Arcserve UDP
  • Replacing a chunk based tool whose per object charges made a cheap bucket expensivenot Arcserve UDP
  • Keeping an encrypted offsite copy where the storage provider must never be able to read the contentsnot Arcserve UDP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arcserve UDP

  • Multiple security vulnerabilities documented in 2025-2026 including authentication bypass and buffer overflow issues
  • Slow restore speeds for large backup tasks and recovery operations
  • Requires full backup when changing drive sizes, causing extended backup windows

Kopia

  • Space is only reclaimed when maintenance runs, and in a shared repository full maintenance is owned by one client, so if that machine goes away the repository grows for ever while every backup still reports success.
  • The repository format has changed across versions and mixing client versions against one repository is discouraged, so a fleet must be upgraded together rather than machine by machine.
  • There is no central orchestration or reporting for many machines, so monitoring a fleet means building your own alerting around exit codes.
  • Restoring many small files is slower than the backup was, because content must be reassembled from pack blobs, and this is rarely tested until the day it matters.
  • Encryption is client side with no escrow, so a lost repository password means the data is unrecoverable and there is no vendor to appeal to.

Pricing, plan by plan

Arcserve UDP

$25/month
  • UDP Premium$25/month
    • Assured recovery
    • Instant VM
    • Tape support

Kopia

Free
  • KopiaFree
    • Full functionality, no data limit
    • Desktop application included
    • Any supported storage back end

Which should you pick?

Choose Arcserve UDP if

  • You need assured recovery testing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want instant vm recovery.
Arcserve UDP review

Choose Kopia if

  • You need content defined chunking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker.
  • You also want global deduplication.
Kopia review

Questions people ask

Is Arcserve UDP or Kopia better?
Neither clearly leads. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month and Kopia at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arcserve UDP or Kopia?
Kopia has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $25/month for Arcserve UDP and Free for Kopia.
Does Arcserve UDP or Kopia run on more platforms?
Arcserve UDP runs on Windows, Linux. Kopia runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker.
Can I use Kopia for free?
Yes. Kopia has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arcserve UDP starts at $25/month.
What is Arcserve UDP best used for?
Arcserve UDP is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Kopia is typically brought in for.
What can Arcserve UDP do that Kopia cannot?
Arcserve UDP covers Assured recovery testing, Instant VM recovery, Deep application support, Ransomware protection. Kopia covers Content defined chunking, Global deduplication, Pack blobs, Client side encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arcserve UDP: What licensing model does Arcserve UDP use?

Arcserve UDP uses a capacity-based subscription model (Managed Capacity Program) where you license based on total front-end terabytes of protected data rather than per-device. Available in Standard, Advanced, and Premium editions.

Source
Kopia: Is a partly corrupt repository still restorable?

Partly. Deduplication means one damaged pack blob affects every snapshot referencing its contents, but unaffected files still restore. Run verification regularly rather than assuming.

Arcserve UDP: Does Arcserve UDP support cloud backup?

Yes. Arcserve UDP integrates with multiple cloud providers including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Wasabi for offsite backup and disaster recovery storage.

Source
Kopia: How does it compare with restic?

Similar guarantees, with packing that behaves better on per operation billing, a desktop interface, and compression enabled by default.

Arcserve UDP: What hypervisors does Arcserve UDP support?

Arcserve UDP supports multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM, and others, allowing granular recovery at the VM level with instant boot capabilities.

Source
Kopia: Do I need to run maintenance manually?

It is scheduled automatically by default, but you must ensure the client that owns full maintenance keeps running, otherwise deleted snapshots never free space.

Kopia: Can several machines share one repository?

Yes, and that is where deduplication pays off, but they should run compatible versions and only one owns full maintenance.

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